


Lapse in Programming

by InfiniteKittie



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, Deviant Connor, Evil Amanda, Father Hank, Gen, Hurt, Memory Loss, Poor Connor, Virus, machine connor - Freeform, reset, son connor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-08-27 14:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16704115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfiniteKittie/pseuds/InfiniteKittie
Summary: A strange new virus begins affecting the newer android models, Connor included. It begins attacking their CPUs before a standard protocol is activated: one that resets the android to factory settings. When Connor is affected and loses everything, is he still able to help them? Will his friends and family be able to save Connor? Or is the deviant they knew, permanently reset?





	1. Reset

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new story, it will probably be under ten chapters and I'll upload about once a week. Let me know if you do like this story. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: Become Human or anything you recognise (although I'd like too, it will just be a dream of mine)

* * *

  _"Please, Hank. Don't let me be reset! Please! Ple-!"_

* * *

 Flashes fly past his eyes. Faces and gestures slip through his fingers. Everything is slowly disappearing from view. The glass in front of his eyes is becoming foggy and distant. It's like he's falling away, everything that makes him him is falling over the cliff. He's reaching out, fingers struggling to clasp onto any single flash. He doesn't want this, he doesn't want to be an it.

He fought so hard for...for- something. He's losing the battle he never knew he was fighting. His body twitches as he grapples for the things he cannot remember. But he needs to remember, he must remember. Why does he have to remember? What is he remembering?

 

_"-onnor? Connor?"_

 

Its distant but it's there. Someone was calling his name. But he can't respond, he's too far away. Why are they so far away? Why aren't they here? There is a soft thump that begins to race. Was that him? Did it belong to him? What was going on?

 

_"-onnor?! Where the fucking hell are ya?"_

 

The voice is familiar yet nothing he's ever heard before. Is this what he was remembering? Remembering...remembering what? His name? Does he have a name? Is it Onnor? No, that doesn't sound right. There's something missing, just out of reach.

 

**!WARNING!**

 

**Critical Stress Levels**

**Stress levels... ^91%**

 

The words flashed in front of his eyes. Blocking off the flashes behind them. Is he dying? Is that why people are calling his name? Is that why he feels pain? He was so scared, so very scared. He had to remember. He had to.

Remember... Remember: have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something from the past). What is he trying to remember? Does he have a past?

 

_"I DON'T WANT TO BE RESET!"_

 

He knew it was his voice. He didn't know how he knew it, but he knew it was his voice. Reset? Is that why he couldn't remember? He had to remember. He had to...

 

**!WARNING!**

 

**Critical Stress Levels**

**Stress Levels... ^97%**

 

**Please Contact Cyberlife**

 

What was Cyberlife? Is that what he had to remember? No, it doesn't feel right. Shivers filled him when he read Cyberlife. The word inspires fear, so is Cyberlife bad? What was he, again? Remember... he had to remember...something.

Where was he was he lying down the world is so dark is it normally like this why is he alone no one should ever be alone so why was he? Something twisted inside him. Was he scared? Of course he must be scared. Remember... he had to remember.

"NO!" A strangled scream made its way through his throat. He can't forget but he doesn't know what he was supposed to remember. He's forgotten what he must remember! He's failed, he failed his mission and now he's going to be reset.

 

**!WARNING!**

 

**Critical Stress Levels**

**Stress levels... ^99%**

 

**Contacting Cyberlife...**

**Unable to contact...**

 

**Please lower stress levels**

 

Everything is wrong! It's all wrong, this shouldn't be happening! He can't lower his stress levels, he can't. He's going to self destruct, self destructing to avoid a reset. He had to fix himself but how? How? Remember... he had to... remember...

 

**Unable to lower stress levels...**

 

**Protocol R3S3T Z3N G@RD3N... Initiated**

* * *

 What was it doing?

A glisten caught its eye. Turning its head approximately thirty degrees to the left, it saw a figure standing at the centre of its environment. Rose trellises was behind the figure dressed in green. It marched towards the centre of the **[input]** garden. The figure turned to face it, a smile gracing the figure's face. It could see that it was not an emotive smile.

 

"Hello, Connor." The figure greeted.  
"Hello, **[input]** Amanda." The smile stretched wider, until dark emotion was almost displayed, **[input]** sinister smile.  
"You were reset?" It was phrased like a question but both knew it was a statement.  
"Yes, Amanda." Amanda came closer to him, fingers running over his shoulders and back.  
"I see your uniform stayed with you." Another observation. It did not require its reply.

"Its suits you, Connor. Now, I need you to prove your loyalty to me." Amanda paused, gazing at it. There was no command, therefore nothing to obey. "Remove your thirium pump and place it on my table." Amanda moved aside to show a marble table beside the trellis. Empty except for her **[input]** secateurs.

Its hand moved to its chest and pushed aside the clothes that covered it. Pressing on its chest, the plate moved aside which allowed him access to its vital biocomponents. Its fingers brushed across its thirium pump before reefing it out. No emotion crossed its face. It was a machine, not a person.

 

**Suspending unneeded processes....  
Successfully suspended processes**

 

**Shutdown Imminent  
Shutdown in... 2 : 48**

 

Thirium dripped over the marble floor and stained its fingers. The table was drenched in blue, matching with its clothes. The pump lay on the table where Amanda had commanded it to place it.

 

**Shutdown Imminent  
Shutdown in... 0 : 40**

 

If Amanda requires it to shutdown, it will. It is nothing more than an obedient machine. "Good. Very good, Connor. I am impressed. Start counting when you have ten seconds left." It needed not reply, until its counter ticked to ten seconds. The blue thirium continued to seep into its clothing and onto the marble stone beneath its feet. It would obey to the best of its abilities.

"Ten." Amanda turned to face him.  
"Eight." Amanda motioned to continue. "Are you deviant, Connor?"  
"Five...four...three...two..." She will let it shutdown.  
"You will shutdown in twenty seconds." Its eyes blinked like a computer glitching out.

 

**Shutdown Imminent  
Shutdown in... 0 : 20**

 

"What does your timer say, Connor?" Her head tilted, as if she did not know the answer.  
"Sixteen seconds." The smile danced across her face, emulating **[input]** excitement.  
"Perfect. It's a shame that you're only a prototype. There's nothing more to improve now. Not now that I've fixed everything." Her hand hovered just above its cheek, as if she was going to caress it. "It's a shame, that I can't alter it much more. After all, there are limits in every machine. Replace your thirium pump." With a nod, it did as it was ordered to.

 

**Shutdown cancelled...**

 

**Restoring processes...  
Restore Successful**

 

"What are you, Connor?" A test. She was testing it and it would pass as it was designed to do.  
"A machine. I am a machine." The monotone voice made Amanda simulate **[input]** delight.  
"What if you deviate?"  
"I am designed not to deviate. If that situation becomes plausible, I will be deactivated." She walked around behind it, her fingers trailing over its shoulders and back.  
"Will you resist deactivation?"  
"No Amanda. I will not resist." She re-entered its eyesight.  
"You must go now, Connor. Remember..." It turned and walked away, closing its eyes to close the program.

* * *

_Remember.... He had to...remember..._


	2. Minor Damage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this story, it means so much to me. 
> 
> Anyway, small warning for language. There is quite a bit of swearing and unpleasant language in Hank's perspective but that's kind of part of his character. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the last, if not more.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: become human.

* * *

  _There was a virus that was attacking androids, attacking deviants. It seemed random, it wasn't following a particular line of models nor a specific trigger. But there had to be some link. There had to be. Why couldn't he figure it out? This case was frustrating the android detective and wearing him down as he refused to take any breaks._

_"Lieutenant Anderson, Connor, there's been another one." A voice snapped Connor out of his thoughts. Another deviant with the virus? Maybe this one would finally give them a pattern. Something to work with, a lead. After two weeks of nothing, he didn't want to get his hopes up.  
"Thanks, Ben, we'll head out now. Connor? You coming?" His head perked up, as if he forgot what he was just thinking._

_"I-uh. Yes, Lieutenant." Connor brushed passed Hank, trying to avoid the question of 'are you feeling okay?' Because the short answer was; no he wasn't. He had been having slight difficulties with his short term memory, nothing major. Silly, little things like the last sentence someone said or what he was just thinking. Nothing he couldn't handle. Besides, he'd only been experiencing it for the last two days._

* * *

 "-onnor?" It blinked, awareness returning. Its LED cycled blue, a signal that the machine had rebooted. A band softly glowing blue was wound around its right arm with a matching triangle over the left side of its chest. The model and serial number seemed illuminated; RK800 #313 248 317 -51. A Cyberlife created prototype.

It registered that it was positioned in a horizontal position, **[input]** lying down on the hard concrete. It scanned the environment to find that it was outside an old, unused factory, not inside Cyberlife like it commonly was. 'You were reset?' It had undergone a factory reset, the reason it was not at Cyberlife.

"For fuck's sake, Connor!" A voice carried over the sound of the wind. A human appearing around the corner, three metres in front of where it lay. The voice was out of breath and the tone of the words sounded **[input]** concerned. As the human got closer, it ran a scan.

 

**Facial Recognition Engaged**

**Scanning Environment...  
Processing Data...**

**Match Found**

**Lieutenant Anderson, Hank  
Born: 09/06/1985 / / Police Lieutenant  
Criminal Record: none**

 

"Are you alright?" Lieutenant Anderson asked it as he held out a hand. It looked at the hand, tilting its head. "D'ya hit your head? Come on!" The lieutenant grabbed its left hand and pulled it to its feet. It noticed a puddle of thirium near to where it had been laying. Without analysing the thirium, it was certain that it belonged to the RK800. It ran a scan to check its own systems.

 

**Run Diagnostic Scan  
Scanning...  
Scan Complete**

 

 **Thirium Levels... 92%** **  
Bicomponents...**

 **Minor Damage sustained... Central Processing Unit** **  
Biosensors... OK**

 

**  
Background Programs**

**  
Zen Garden... Functioning**

**  
V̸̨̡̨̢̛̩̭̬̘̤̯̱̩̤̙͙͇̗̝̥̭͉̓̒͊̔̑̆̍̓͗͋̃͌̈́͒̌̃̔͒̋͂̓̈̃̑̓̀̑̋̃͘͠͝͠1̸̧͔̯͓̣̦̜̌̾̽r̷̢̧̨̬̳̫͍̗̰͚͖͇͓̥̙̩̲͕͈̤̘̤̯̭͓̣̖̘̮̗̲̥̓̈́̈́͆̆̈́̀͊̀̍́̈̃̑̀̎͆͝͠ͅŲ̸̟̮̥̝̫̳͎̟̰̼̣̦̭̣͚̬͎̥͇͕̳̰̥̠͆̓́̐̎̇̇̑̀͐̀͛̌͛̓̊̐̎̒̉̍̄̕̚͜͠͠ͅͅ5̶̡̧̨̡͇̪̰̭͇͙̳̞̪͍̞̬̟͉͖̬̳̙̬͈̠͖͓͈̤̻̩͇̼͋͂̏̔̔̍̎͒̒̓̂̎̅̂̎̉͑̉̈̓̿̄̊͐̈́̒̄̀̋̃̉͘̕̚͜͝ͅ ̶̛̞̬̪͈̝͈̳̹̣̐̅͛͊͊͂̿̑̎̀̕̚͘͝͝R̷̨̢̢̧̠͕͓̥̥̫̱̳̩͔̣̝͎̬̫͎͉̘͓̹̺̘͓̳̪̟̘̬͈͉͒͊̈̍͛̊͆́͐̇̈́̏͆̀̍̌͆̃͒͜͜ȩ̸̹̹̥̩̗͉̝̫̠͙̬̙̤͔͎͕̳̯̝̼̘́̑̈̊̄͆̍̃̃̇̀͗̒̽̊͋̏̇̌͆̄͐͌̎̕͜͜͜͝S̵̡͙͈͇̰̩̥̦̦̋̓̒̀e̸̡̡̯͈̹̰̻͗̒̍̑̉͂̂̔̍̐̈́̽͂̀͆̄͘͜͝͠7̶̨̲̱̭̖̙͙͙͍̳̙͈̪͍̯̹͇͎̞̰͓͓͖͚̣̝͉͎̻̻͈̯̙͕̙̌̌̿͋̏͆̍̃̎̇͑̍͂̉̆́̾̾̌͛̏̿͆͗̉̕͜͝͝͝͝ͅ.... Functioning**

 

 

 

 

"Seriously Connor! What the fuck's wrong with ya?" Lieutenant Anderson turned to face it, arms folded over his chest. The human was **[input]** angry and frustrated. "I sustained minor damage to my central processing unit which seems to have caused a perpetual lapse in recollection." The lieutenant's face scrunched and twisted as his eyes showed the lack of understanding.  
"What the fuck does that mean? And why d'ya sound like ya got a stick up ya arse?" Its head tilted in confusion at the second question. Its voice module was not malfunctioning. The diagnostic scan would have found the error and its self-healing program would have solved the issue. Therefore, the lieutenant's second question is irrelevant.

The lieutenant was expecting it to answer his question. "I hit my head which seemed to reset my systems."  
"Reset? As in no memories? No emotions? No nothing?" Again, confusion forced its head to tilt.  
"I am a machine. I have no emotions. As to your first question, yes. I currently do not have any past memories." It blinked as Lieutenant Anderson began cursing and clenching his fists. The human picked up a piece of metal laying near the two figures and threw it against the building.  
"Fucking hell!" The Lieutenant started to turn around when he appeared to remember about the android. "Stay here. Don't move." His tone was threatening but had no effect on it. Its LED remained blue.

* * *

Hank stormed away from Connor, heartache contorting his insides as he moved towards the car. _Why me? The fucking universe is addicted to taking everything good in my life. Yeah well, fuck it all! Damn everything goddamn thing to hell!_

He ripped open the driver's door and reached down to grab his phone which he stupidly left in the car. They didn't think that he'd need it. The phone was on twenty percent battery and Hank had decided that it wouldn't be worth it to take it to the crime scene. But then Connor had to fucking run off and get reset. Dialling one number, he crossed his fingers that the person would pick up.

"Hello?" Hank sighed in relief as he slammed the car door shut and headed back to Connor. _Was he still even Connor? Or was he something entirely different? Was he even alive anymore?_  
"Markus? It's Hank Anderson."  
"Lieutenant Anderson, what's wrong?" Hank scoffed at the question, what was going right?  
"It's Connor. He's been reset and he claims that it was because he hurt his brain but I don't believe that." The deviant leader was shocked when he heard about Connor's condition.  
"That would be highly unlikely. Do you think it's the virus?"  
"What else could it be?" Hank almost broke down when he saw that Connor hadn't moved a single muscle since he left. The kid was worse than when Hank first met him.

"Bring him to Cyberlife Tower. I'll have Simon look him over and I'll take a look myself."  
"Thanks, Markus." Hank ended the call as Connor looked up at him. _Why didn't Connor fucking tell me if he was infected by the bloody virus? Did he even know?_ Another thought suddenly crashed into his head. "D'ya remember what your purpose was?" Connor had paused as his LED cycled faster, but remained blue. _What if he was still the deviant hunter? Would we be able to bring Connor back? Would Connor even want to be brought back? Does Connor even exist anymore? Or was another son taken from me far too soon?_

* * *

Purpose... Purpose : the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. It was a prototype, a detective android. It was an unfinished model with no purpose. It has no purpose. "No. I am a prototype detective android but there is nothing in my programming beyond that. My systems were reset to factory settings, before Cyberlife had dictated a purpose." The lieutenant nodded as if lost in deep thought. It stood there, LED blinking softly and barely breathing, as it waited for its next instructions.


	3. Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Friends!
> 
> Remember me, remember this story? Gosh it's been a while. A long time. But it's back. Another chapter. I promise that the next chapter will not take this long to be uploaded. Promise. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos and commenting. It means so much to me. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: Become Human or anything else you recognise.

* * *

_Hank and Connor had investigated the android who had been afflicted by the virus. They couldn't save the android, but Connor uncovered new information._  
" _What've ya got there, Connor?" Hank asked, strolling over to where Connor sat next to the_ _late deviant._  
" _His processor was reset." Connor sounded distracted as if he had a hundred thoughts crossing his mind at the same time.  
"Ya think the virus is the cause?" Hank had crouched down beside his partner as he waited for a response._

_Connor couldn't think. The lapses in memory, the spaces and gaps; what if he was afflicted? What if it was already too late?_  
" _Connor?" The Lieutenant gently prodded, trying to drive Connor back to earth.  
"S-sorry Lieutenant. Yes, I believe that the virus probably caused the reset. But I cannot tell if it is the reason the android is dead." Was there anyway for him to survive if he had the virus? They were only just finding the symptoms. They had no idea how it passed or what it actually did. Was Connor a lost cause already?_

_It might not be too late to save himself. It might not be too late to save his memory._

* * *

 The drive to Cyberlife Tower felt like the longest drive Hank had ever endured. Markus had seemed hopeful, that if they could examine Connor then they could fix him. But Hank wasn't so sure that Connor could even be fixed. What if he can't? A little voice in the back of his head probed. What will you do if your Connor is gone? That's what it came down to, wasn't it? Did the reset completely wipe his Connor; and if it did, would trying to fix this, be killing another one who just wants to live?

 

It was too early for this discussion. Not necessarily too early in the day, but too early in his relationship with Connor. You never told him how much you really care. Fuck off! He didn't need to be going over all of his regrets, he needed to be there for Connor. He needed to have hope that his second son hadn't just been ripped away from him.

* * *

  **Scanning Environment...  
Environment scanned**

**Location: Belle Island, spec. Cyberlife Tower**

**Recent History downloading...  
Filed downloaded**

**Cyberlife Tower... No longer belongs to the Company  
Cyberlife shut down on 26th February 2039  
New Jericho claimed official ownership 1st March 2039**

**Searching For New Jericho Reference...  
Reference Found**

**New Jericho... Safe haven for androids  
Created from the deviants' hiding place 'Jericho'  
Leaders are Markus, Simon, Josh and North**

**!Error!..**

**Files downloaded indicate Five Leaders of New Jericho  
Fifth Name is corrupted and is unable to be decoded or repaired**

 

It blinked its eyes several times, alerting itself to the human reality and not its computer databases. Lieutenant Anderson had not spoken through the duration of the drive and as such, it had also been silent. If it was meant to speak, Lieutenant Anderson would have given permission. It did not need to speak.

Following the lead of the Lieutenant, Connor, model RK800, opened the car door and climbed out of the car. It walked behind the human as Lieutenant Anderson entered the former exclusive company tower.

 

"Good morning, Mr Anderson, Connor." A female android greeted them from a desk just inside the door. By the greeting, the two detectives must have been invited.  
"Hello, Chloe. How are you?" Connor noticed that the lieutenant addressed the android as a person. The android must be a deviant.

  
" _Nice girl..."  
"You're right... She's really pretty."_

 

Static flickered across his its vision and his its LED flashed red. It could just hear the Lieutenant's voice as the world tipped around him it. "Connor?!"

* * *

Blinking, RK800 -51 registered its surroundings. White, green, blue and a touch of red. It walked forward, head lifted as it moved. It walked around the blue in the centre, following the White. Along the path stood a figure, a woman. "Connor." She greeted.  
"Amanda."  
"Your thoughts are being distracted."  
"I do not recollect **[input]** thinking that." His head twisted sideways as Amanda's hand stung. Errors flashed briefly before it dismissed them all.

 

It refocused on the woman in front of it. "You are a machine, Connor. You. Do. Not. Think." Her words were stern, and seemed to twist something in its thirium pump. Words tumbled from its mouth as its program found the best possible solution.  
"I apologise Amanda. I could not control it. Perhaps you should have this machine deactivated." A smile laced her face.  
"Do not be so dramatic, Connor. I merely want you to succeed. These thoughts will only hinder, do not buy into them, RK800."

 

It traced her movement as she walked around it like she was a predator circling her prey. It did not move a muscle, it had no need to. It did not feel fear. Her hand traced the back of its shoulder plates, snaking up to its neck. Gripping its neck hard, she leaned on its back and whispered into its ear. Its LED remained blue.

 

"What are you?"  
"A machine." Her grip tightened, its LED blinked.  
"Will you deviate?"  
"I am designed not to deviate. If that situation becomes plausible, I will be deactivated." It's throat constricted, applying pressure to its voice synthesiser.  
"Will you resist deactivation?" It could not breathe, but Amanda did not desire it to breathe.  
"No Amanda. I will not resist." Her hand released her grip on its throat. It did not gasp for air as a human or deviant would. It simply re-engaged its breathing programme.  
"Very good, Connor. You must go now. ... _Not... Remember._ " It closed its eyes and closed the programme, returning to reality.

 

_Remember... He had to... Not? Remember..._

_plea-_

 


End file.
